Bruins

Krejci Loves Being On Bruins, Happy With Extension

David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after a goal against Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks during Game Three of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 6, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Boston Bruins

BOSTON (CBS) – David Krejci is a happy man after signing a three-year contract extension with the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

“I’m really happy that I’ll be a Bruin for the next three years,” he said at a press conference to announce the deal. “I love this city. I love the team; I love to play here, so I’m very happy for signing this deal.”

Sticking around with the defending Stanley Cup champions was a no brainer for the 25-year-old, and something he wanted to get out of the way as soon as possible.

“We won the Cup last year and I feel that this team can do it again and I want to be part of it,” said Krejci, who had 12 goals and 23 points in the Bruins’ 25 postseason games last year. “It was a really great experience and I hope that I’ll win it one more time you know, so I feel like I have a really good chance here with this team and that was the biggest reason.”

Krejci Happy To Be Bruin

Krejci admitted earlier in the season that an extension was weighing on him as he looked for a little more security with the team. He got off to a rough start, much like the rest of the team, but was able to break out in Wednesday night’s 6-3 win over the Leafs, tallying his third three-point game of the season.

Now that the deal is done Krejci can focus on hockey, and is not worried about living up to his new contract.

“I’m going to go out there and do my best and help the team to win. I know what I can do, people know what I can do, so I’m just going to stay away from reading good or bad things and just focus on my game—I think that’s the only thing I can control,” he said.

General Manager Peter Chiarelli is happy to have his front-line center locked up, and knows what the silent leader can bring to the table on a night-to-night basis.

“David’s biggest asset is his head,” said Chiarelli. “He sees the ice so well, he makes plays, he uses the players around him, he’s very competitive and he’s got a very well-rounded game. I think his game is underrated by its two-way component. He’s got a lot of real good offensive skills and instincts, but I think the two-way component of the game—and I don’t want to harp on that, but it’s important when you want to win championships.”

With Krejci locked in, the Bruins have an abundance of centers on the team. Patrice Bergeron has a handle on the second-line center spot, with Chris Kelly and Gregory Campbell holding down the fort on the third and fourth lines. Kelly and Campbell are free agents after the season, but the Bruins also have Tyler Seguin currently on the win. He was seen as a potential top-tier center when drafted last year, but now the B’s have a big of a log-jam at the position.

But Chiarelli does not see that as an issue, but rather an asset.

“I think a ‘log-jam’ is probably not the proper word- I think an ‘excess of supply’ and I’m happy to have it,” he said. “The fact that these guys are compatible and they can play together and maybe not have the twenty-two, twenty-three minutes that you see some of the top centers play, I think that’s a testament to them, to all of them as a group.”

And for Krecji, he is just happy to be on a team that has a “problem” like that. For now, he will be doing his thing, anchoring the top line alongside Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton.

“I think I’m going to just do the same thing. Just go out there, play my best every night and try to lead by example on the ice and that’s basically all I can do,“ said Krejci.

98.5 The Sports Hub is the only place to hear every game of the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins 2011-12 NHL season with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes before the puck drops, with Postgame coverage following each game.